Shasta Lake
Shasta Lake summertime rainbow trout, brown trout, and King salmon fishing is undeniably the best trout and salmon fishing destination in the west. Shasta Lake is the largest reservoir in California and holds the largest populations of trout I am aware of in the western US. Healthy plants of rainbows, browns, and two salmon species keep Shasta Lake salmonid populations very high. CDFW closely manages the stocks in Shasta Lake and they do a great job of keeping the planting schedules continuous, but thats not all. Shasta Lake has dozens and dozens of large and small tributaries which provide natural spawning habitat for the wild trout and salmon populations. Every spring and fall, trout and salmon can be observed either staging at the river and creek mouths, or can be seen in the creeks and rivers themselves. Currently theres no shortage of the wild spawning fish and their numbers greatly enhance the fishing opportunities on Shasta Lake. Massive populations of Thread Fin Shad, Crawdads, Daphnia, Plankton, and many different kinds of insect hatches provide a lot of food for these fish and their growth rate is above average.
Summer Trout and Salmon
Temperatre reading devices are very helpful when looking for trout and salmon in the summer on Shasta Lake.
Shasta Lake has four seasons, but in many ways, summertime is my favorite time to fish for trout and salmon. Shasta Lake sees some really hot summer temperatures, often times in the 95-100+ degree range. Lake water surface temperatures can exceed 80 degrees during June through September. Early on during the summer heat, the top of the water column will be pretty warm, but the water below will be quite cool. As summer wears on, the warm water layer begins to thicken and pushes cold water readings down deeper and deeper all summer long. By late August and September its not uncommon to see our trout and salmon sitting in water thats over 100’ feet deep. Its important to remember this change occurs because angler success on the lake in the summer will be determined by how deep they are fishing. Looking for populations of fish on fish finders, or using temperature devices to measure temperatures down deep is really important. Fish above solid lines of fish near the visible thermocline or start trolling at depths where temperature readings are around 65 degrees or below.
Deep water trolling in the summer
Trolling for trout and salmon on Shasta Lake is the most popular method for catching trout and salmon during the summer months on Shasta Lake. Downriggers are an essential piece of equipment for successfully trolling for trout and salmon in Shasta Lake. There are lots of ways to get gear down to the fish in any lake, but on Shasta Lake downriggers are anyones best bet during summer. The use of downriggers is an easy and effective way to send down multiple lines to the deep water environment summer trout and salmon will be holding in. If you can get down to the fish, you’ll catch them. They aren’t real picky in the summer and just a few different pieces of proven tackle/lures will catch you fish.
Top Trolling Lures For Shasta Lake Summer Trout and Salmon
One of the most effective tackle combinations on Shasta Lake is the dodger/spoon combination. Shasta Lake trout and salmon feed heavily on Shad in the summer so flashers or dodgers combined with small spoons or lures will draw the attention of the silver fish in Shasta Lake. Flashers and dodgers mimic small Shad schools and the devices drive trout into feeding frenzies. Anything trailing these flashers/dodgers will be perceived as a weak or wounded bait fish and will get eaten by trout and salmon. I’ve used just about everything available on the tackle market for trout and salmon, but I do have my favorites for Shasta Lake. During the summer months, I favor a dodger/spoon From Trinidad Tackle Co. or dodger/Kokanee Cut Plug from Brads Killer Fishing Gear. I know that if I use either one of these two combinations I will catch trout and salmon on Shasta Lake.
My top producer in the dodger/spoon category is the Trinidad tackle Co. 6” dodger and a Popped Eye spoon. Colors vary, but its hard to go wrong with anything gold, black, or white. That includes the dodgers and spoons. In the dodger/Kokanee Cut Plug category is the Brads Killer Fishing Gear UV dodger and the KCP size cut plugs. Brad’s dodgers have a great kick and put off a lot of light while creating great action on the KCP’s. The Kokanee Cut Plugs are also a game changer with the built in scent chambers that will hold fresh cut bait or Pautzke Bait Co. Fire Gel Scents. There are dozens of options out there for trout and salmon attractors/lures but these are proven fish catchers for me. I’ve written lots of articles on trolling real Shad on Shasta Lake as well with frozen Shad brined in Pautzke Bait Co. Fire Brines. Check out my other articles or the Pautzke Bait Co. YouTube Channel for more info on trolling Shasta Lake with Fire Brined Shad.
Where To Fish?
During the summer, fishing the main body of Shasta Lake is the most productive. It contains the deepest, coolest water and holds the most bait this time of the year. The main body is typically referred to as the body of water between the I-5 bridge and Shasta Dam. Fishing the large coves and over the deep water channels is typically the most productive for us in the summer. Following the information I’ve provided above will undoubtedly help get some Shasta Lake trout and salmon in the ice chest for many of you this summer. Good luck and have a great summer fishing on Shasta Lake!
